24th Division

The history of 24th Division

This Division was established in September 1914 as part of Army Order 388 authorising Kitchener’s Third New Army, K3. The units of the Division began to assemble in the area of Shoreham. Early days were somewhat chaotic, the new volunteers having very few trained officers and NCOs to command them, no organised billets or equipment. It was March 1915 before makeshift drab uniforms arrived and not untul July before rifles were issued.

The Division moved 19-23 June 1915 to Aldershot for final training. Lord Kitchener inspected the Division at Chobham ranges on 19 August and next day it was the turn of King George V. Orders were received on 19 August to move to France and the first units departed one week later.

Concentration was completed in the area between Etaples and St Pol on 4 September. The Division’s first experience was truly appalling. Having been in France for only a few days, lengthy forced marches brought it into the reserve for the British assault at Loos. GHQ planning left it too far behind to be a useful reinforcement on the first day, but it was sent into action on 26 September, whereupon it suffered over 4178 casualties for very little gain.

The Division served on the Western Front for the remainder of the war, taking part in many of the significant actions:

1915
The Battle of Loos

1916
The German gas attack at Wulverghem
The Battle of Delville Wood*
The Battle of Guillemont*The battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916

1917
The Battle of Vimy Ridge, a phase of the Arras offensive 1917
The Battle of Messines
The Battle of Pilkem Ridge***
The Battle of Langemarck***The battles marked *** are phases of the Third Battles of Ypres
The Cambrai Operations (the German counter attack)

1918
The Battle of St Quentin+
The Actions at the Somme Crossings+
The Battle of Rosieres+
The First Battle of the Avre+The battles marked + are phases of the First Battles of the Somme 1918The Battle of Cambrai 1918, a phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line
The pursuit to the Selle^
The Battle of the Sambre^, including the passage of the Grand HonelleThe battles marked ^ are phases of the Final Advance in Picardy

When the Armistice came into effect at 11am on 11 November 1918 the units of the Division were holding positions 1.5 miles east of the Maubeuge-Mons road. Between 17-19 November they moved back to the area between Denain and Douai and 25-27 November went to the area St Amand-Orchies. On 18 December the Division moved once more, to Tournai. Demobilisation began and by 26 March 1919 only cadres were left. In all the 24th Division had suffered the loss of 35362 killed, wounded and missing.

The order of battle of the 24th Division

71st Brigade

Brigade moved to 6th Division on 11 October 1915 in exchange for 17th Brigade

9th Bn, the Norfolk Regiment

9th Bn, the Suffolk Regiment

8th Bn, the Bedfordshire Regiment

11th Bn, the Essex Regiment

72nd Brigade

8th Bn, the Queen’s

left February 1918

8th Bn, the Buffs

left October 1915

9th Bn, the East Surrey Regiment

8th Bn, the Royal West Kent Regiment

1st Bn, the North Staffordshire Regiment

joined October 1915

72nd Machine Gun Company

joined 14 March 1916
moved into Divisional MG Battalion 5 March 1918

72nd Trench Mortar Battery

formed by 19 July 1916

73rd Brigade

12th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers

left October 1915

9th Bn, the Royal Sussex Regiment

7th Bn, the Northamptonshire Regiment

13th Bn, the Middlesex Regiment

2nd Bn, the Leinster Regiment

joined October 1915, left February 1918

73rd Machine Gun Company

joined 14 March 1916
moved into Divisional MG Battalion 5 March 1918

73rd Trench Mortar Battery

formed by 15 June 1916

17th Brigade

18 October 1915 transferred from 6th Division, in exchange for 71st Brigade

1st Bn, the Royal Fusiliers

12th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers

disbanded February 1918

2nd Bn, the Leinster Regiment

left October 1915

3rd Bn, the Rifle Brigade

8th Bn, the Buffs

joined October 1915, disbanded February 1918

1/2nd Bn, the London Regiment

left 9 February 1916

17th Machine Gun Company

formed 17 January 1916
moved into Divisional MG Battalion 5 March 1918

17th Trench Mortar Battery

formed by 26 July 1916

8th Bn, the Queen’s

joined February 1918

Divisional Troops

11th Bn, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment

joined before March 1915, left 9 April 1915

13th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers

joined before March 1915, left 9 April 1915

12th Bn, the Sherwood Foresters

joined before March 1915, converted to Pioneer Battalion in April 1915

No 3 Motor Machine Gun Battery

joined 30 October 1915, left 23 November 1915

191st Machine Gun Company

joined 15 December 1916
moved into Divisional MG Battalion 5 March 1918

24th Machine Gun Battalion

created 5 March 1918

Divisional Mounted Troops

A Sqn, the 1st Royal Glasgow Yeomanry

joined 30 June 1915, left 29 April 1916

24th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps

formed by 15 February 1915, left 29 April 1916

Divisional Artillery

CVI Brigade, RFA

CVII Brigade, RFA

CVIII Brigade, RFA

left 27 January 1917

CIX (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA

broken up 3 October 1916

24th Heavy Battery, RGA

raised in August 1914 for the Division. Redesignated 130th HB. Left before Division went to France and joined XXXV HA Brigade for service in Egypt. Not same as 24th Heavy Battery, a unit of the pre-war regular army

24th Divisional Ammunition Column

13th Divisional Ammunition Column

joined 3 July 1915, left 6 August 1915

V.24 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA

joined 30 July 1916, left February 1918

X.24, Y.24 and Z,24 Medium Trench Mortar Batteries RFA

joined by 30 April 1916, Z.24 broken up in February 1918 and X and Y expanded to six guns each

Royal Engineers

91st Field Company

left January 1915

92nd Field Company

left January 1915

103rd Field Company

joined February 1915

104th Field Company

joined January 1915

129th Field Company

joined March 1915

24th Divisional Signals Company

Royal Army Medical Corps

72nd Field Ambulance

73rd Field Ambulance

74th Field Ambulance

41st Sanitary Section

left 5 April 1917 for First Army

Other Divisional Troops

24th Divisional Train ASC

194, 195, 196 and 197 Companies

36th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC

joined 25 June 1915

223rd Divisional Employment Company

formed by 30 June 1917

24th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop

merged into Divisional Supply Column April 1916

Divisional histories

There appears to be no published history of the 24th Division.

Divisional memorials

There appears to be no main memorial to the 24th Division but it is well remembered in the village of Verguier, where it fought so valiantly against the German attack on 21 March 1918.

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